The Dnd 5e Magic Shop Generator is a tool that allows Dungeon Masters (DMs) to create and generate unique and exciting magic shops for their Dungeons and Dragons (Dnd) campaigns. In the world of Dnd, magic shops are a staple where adventurers can buy and sell magical items, spells, and potions. This generator takes into account various factors, such as the size of the shop, the type of magic items available, and the rarity of those items. It considers the economic factors of the campaign world, creating a realistic and immersive shopping experience for players. The generator provides a wide range of options to customize the magic shop. DMs can choose the type of shopkeeper and their personality traits, creating memorable and unique characters to interact with.
Lesbian Witches
Historically, the queer community has flourished during holidays like Halloween. It is the night where identity is clouded, irregularities are cherished, and the things that scare us are joyfully detached from reality. One iconic Halloween symbol is the witch: a term that often brings to mind green skin, pointy hats, and striped tights. Many, however, associate the term witches with a plethora of other images: hunting, manifestos, political insensitivity, homophobia, and misogyny.
The term “witches” has a very cloudy history. Between 1500-1600, some estimate tens of thousands were executed due to social upheaval and sectarianism. Andrea Dworkin’s book, “Women Hating: A Radical Look at Sexuality,” estimates the number of witches killed to be nine million in the span of 300 years. Their crime? Any act that deviated from her traditional role as a woman. Any outcast, old person, healer, or individual that questioned the patriarchy and power structures like the Crown or the Church was threatened by these witch hunts. And, yes, that absolutely includes queer people. These witch hunts were merely an excuse to persecute women that defied their role, and millions were killed as a result. The explicit misogyny and women-hating during these times was a response to powerful men feeling intimidated by the women who stepped even a toe out of line.
Perhaps as a testament to men’s discomfort surrounding sexuality, many allegations surrounding witchcraft were related to female sexual desire. Folklorist Moria Smith writes in her paper “Penis Theft in the Malleus Maleficarum” that a woman could be accused of witchcraft for things like abortions, causing sterility and stillbirth, and destroying sex lives between a woman and a man. And, yes, for gay sex as well.
In the 15th century, Heinrich Kramer wrote a witch-hunting manifesto called “Malleus Maleficarum” that resulted in countless women dead. One excerpt from the manifesto reads as follows:
[W]hat shall we think about those witches who somehow take members in large numbers—twenty or thirty—and shut them up together in a birds’ nest or some box, where they move about like living members, eating oats or other feed? This has been seen by many and is a matter of common talk. It is said that it is all done by devil’s work and illusion, for the senses of those who see [the penises] are deluded in the way we have said.
These women were accused of stealing penises, putting them into a bird’s nest, and feeding them oats. One story recounts a man on the hunt for his missing penis. He apparently approached a witch in search of his dick and she instructed him to “climb a particular tree where there was a nest containing many members, and he was allowed to take any one he liked.” The man obviously reached for one of the largest dicks and was spurned because it belonged to a parish priest. Kramer wrote in his manifesto, “All witchcraft comes from carnal lust, which in women is insatiable.” This text not only speaks to the misogyny and fear of women at this time, but also the discomfort men felt around women’s bodies and women’s sexuality. This discomfort is still present today. It calls to mind the men that say they have no problems with queer people but there’s no reason to “shove it in their faces.” As long as men continue to feel this discomfort around non-male bodies, women will always be persecuted and marginalized. The story of dicks growing on trees, however, does leave us asking one question. As Callie Beusman from Vice writes, “If dick grew on trees, would anyone need men?”
However, when we hear of witch trials, many of our minds take us to Salem, Massachusetts. In 1641, it was written “If any man or woman be a witch, that is, hath or consulteth with a familiar spirit, they shall be put to death.” Between 1692-1693, some 150 people (primarily women) were accused of witchcraft, and ultimately 19 were hanged./ The Salem Witch Hunts mark a particularly dark period in America’s dark history. It tells a story of fear, outcasts, and persecution by the rich and powerful on the marginalized outcasts of society. And it didn’t stop there.
The witch trials have been repeated in Central Africa, with queer people at the focus. The year? 2018. One victim’s name is Viviane, who was outcast by her family and dragged to a witch doctor. In Cameroon, even authorities consult sorcerers, who recommend things like “corrective rape” and ritual sacrifices to “treat” homosexuality. Viviane’s story is hardly rare. Between 2010 and 2014, at least 50 individuals were convicted of violating the ban on homosexual activities; a crime that results in at least a five year sentence.
According to the Atlantic, in 2009 Saudi Arabia formed its “Anti-Witchcraft Unit” to “educate the public about the evils of sorcery, investigate alleged witches, neutralize their cursed paraphernalia, and disarm their spells” Concerned citizens are urged to call a hotline should they notice any suspicious behaviors. By 2011, the unit had processed at least 586 cases of magical crime, the majority of which were foreign domestic workers from Africa and Indonesia. In 2012, the unit saw a dramatic increase in power as they found sorcery to be one of the core instabilities in society that must be put to an end.
The grim reality of women’s mistreatment around the world makes the term “witch hunt” a sensitive one, and one that is often manipulated for political gain.
Some of our most powerful political leaders in the United States use this term to allude to their innocence. Their insensitivity to the implications of witch hunts and the millions of women dead because of them shows us that women’s persecution has never really ended. Witch hunts were and always will be a power play between society’s elite and society’s outcasts.
Witchcraft and sorcery is, however, being slowly reclaimed, and largely by the queer community. Queer women are taking over the witchcraft scene and using it to build community and find strength in numbers. One 1968 women’s liberation movement was affectionately named W.I.T.C.H., short for Women’s International Terrorist Conspiracy from Hell. The group would march down Wall Street and place hexes on this financial heartland wearing pointy hats, black robes, and carrying their finest brooms.
Though witchcraft and sorcery is turning into a symbol of queer power, it’s important to remember the history behind the term. So as we celebrate our queer holiday of Halloween, remember the history behind what we find horrifying. And, of course, keep your eyes in the trees for nests full of stolen penises.
Credits:
Author: Zoë Collins (She/Her)
Copy Editor: Bella (She/They)
Zoë Collins (She/Her)
Zoë Collins (she/her) is a former Managing Editor at OutWrite and a former photographer on the Graphics team. She is a Marine Biology major who has a passion for intersectional environmentalism and using storytelling to advocate for sustainability. She is part of the Class of 2023.
The queer witches from TV who make us proud
Sometimes “queer witch” feels like a redundant phrase. Like, what isn’t queer about witches? Believing in the power of femininity? Check. Wanting equality for women? Check. Seeing each person as a source of power? Check. Recognizing the myriad forces that control our lives? Check. Wearing a lot of black? Check.
But when the queerness around witches gets to be not just subtext but plain old regular text? Well, that just makes for the kind of TV that will make you feel proud.
From Buffy the Vampire Slayer to The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina to Motherland: Fort Salem, we’ve gathered the 12 queer witches from TV who make us beam with pride. We’ve grouped them by series in part because they all mostly date each other.
Credit: 20th Century Fox
DMs can choose the type of shopkeeper and their personality traits, creating memorable and unique characters to interact with. The generator also includes options for the shop's appearance, ambiance, and additional services provided, such as item identification or item crafting. One of the key features of the Dnd 5e Magic Shop Generator is the ability to generate a list of available magic items.
Willow and Tara (Buffy the Vampire Slayer)
When you think of queer witches on TV, Buffy the Vampire Slayer’s Willow and Tara are probably among the first to pop into your mind. The pair were one of the very earliest examples of queer women representation on TV and, particularly for the time, Willow and Tara were largely a source of positive representation, showing how two women fall in love without making their relationship salacious. Individually, both characters are also awesome and quite powerful in their abilities. Over the course of the series, the Slayer’s BFF Willow goes from meek, agreeable bookworm to feisty, powerful bookworm and comes out in the process. Meanwhile, Tara is a badass witch from a family of witches and though her senseless murder still frustrates fans to this day, her calm, steady presence on Buffy changed the series for the better.
These items can be filtered based on their rarity, allowing DMs to control the availability and power level of magic items in their campaign. This ensures a balanced and fair distribution of magical loot. The generator also creates descriptions for each item, including its name, type, and properties. This saves DMs time and effort in creating detailed descriptions for each magic item in the shop, allowing them to focus on other aspects of their campaign. Overall, the Dnd 5e Magic Shop Generator is an invaluable tool for DMs who want to create dynamic and immersive magic shops in their campaigns. It provides a wide range of options and customization, allowing DMs to tailor the shopping experience to their specific campaign world and player group. With this tool, DMs can create memorable and exciting magic shops that enhance the overall gameplay experience for their players..
Reviews for "Dnd 5e Magic Shop Generators: Exploring the Different Options Available"
1. Sarah - 2 stars - I was really disappointed with the Dnd 5e magic shop generator. It claimed to provide a comprehensive list of magical items and shops, but the selection was very limited. There were only a few items to choose from, and most of them were the basic low-level potions and scrolls. I was hoping for a more diverse and exciting range of options. Overall, it felt like a missed opportunity and not worth the time or money.
2. Mike - 1 star - This magic shop generator was a complete letdown. The prices for the items were completely unrealistic and unbalanced. I mean, who on earth would pay 10,000 gold pieces for a simple healing potion? The generator also lacked any sort of customization options, so you were stuck with whatever it randomly rolled. It was a waste of my time, and I would not recommend it to anyone looking for a reliable and usable magic shop generator.
3. Jessica - 2 stars - The Dnd 5e magic shop generator was a disappointment for me. The descriptions of the items were very generic and lacked any real creativity. It felt like the generator simply slapped together random adjectives and nouns without any thought or cohesiveness. Additionally, there were no images or visual representation of the items, which would have greatly enhanced the experience. Overall, I found it to be a lackluster tool that did not live up to its promises.